The past meets the future in band choices from last weekend and this:
— Out there in the fields, they compete for joyous squeals, even Ziggy’s music nightclub just might be Smilin’ over a competitors re-introduction of its original sauce.
And with Top 40, jazz and old school rock, how can you go wrong this weekend and next weekend and next weekend?
— Ziggy’s entered November by going back to the tried and true, acts that have stood the test of time and keep coming back, (you never know, maybe seen again before the new year). To quote the words of a server, who picked up the phone: “We have Skitzofonik Friday (Nov. 3) who play top 40 and The Tommy Bentz Band on Saturday night, who do jazz (and more and often) without causing the bends.”
— Ziggy’s then rolls out the sweet sounds of the Candy Shop band, on Friday night, followed by Bad Girlfriend the next night, one of which may lead to another.
— Also on Friday night, the Moose is represented by the Legacy of the Loud band, which just might be able to match the volume of the Legacy of the Beast CD and single by Iron Maiden while touring, and being in St. Paul a few weeks ago.
— Lastly, Buffalo Wild Wings is going old school in a big way. There is, as billed, the “introduction” of the “original” wings sauce, is that an (oxymoron? could it be called reintroduction?) with handmade buttery sauce and hot sauce with various spices, that just might be as guarded a recipe secret as the Big Mac sauce, that’s across the road.

The music at the Village Inn when they host their annual Halloween party (be sure to show up in costume) on Saturday night, will be done by longtime Hudson favorites Jawsy. They are led by former manager at the North Hudson venue and American Idol contestant Amanda (she now has a gig that’s other than her band jig where she is a delivery person using one of those big beer trucks). So there are other ventures that play into her role of sustenance, things other than her locally acclaimed music, that keep us going. In the last few months she has been joined by another local player Garret, who is known for his guitar and vocal improvisation that goes up and down and around. Together as a band, they have the jowls that befit their name, a perfect pose for a post-Halloween party that keeps the holiday going.

This weekend and before, and after, its an ongoing, rolling party at the Corner Saloon in River Falls, with the best still to come. Three Days Grace? If you missed the Halloween costume party on Thursday, because there are so many options, and the every-weekend groove of DJ V$ on what we’re calling Black Friday this time around, so much different from the rest of the options on the day after Halloween (and you can still catch this act tonight if you hurry), don’t despair and be scared, just read on. That’s because there is more and it is a Corner Saloon original in River Falls. It being RUCA as the music provider on their D.S.T. party on Saturday and into early Sunday, (Daylight Savings Time for those abbreviationally challenged) with a start at 10 p.m. in the former day, and all this is crucial when you take into account the spring forward and fall behind aspect. And yes these could be names for dance moves, as there will be a lot of that going on, too. All this motif is online and built up by a drawing of an artsy carved pumpkin with headphones. And if all this falls through with your busy schedule, know that DJ V$ will be on board the next Friday, and every Friday after that.

Hey its Freaky Friday, and the freaks are still out in force even though its a kinda “off” day in the ongoing Halloween season.
— Guv’s Place is where it all starts, of course, where owner Jess always has dozens and dozens of huge monsters, most hanging from the ceiling, and there are more of the latter this year in the form of ghostly white string demons that use up dozens and dozens of yards of, well, thick string. She even has cleared out a few tables to make room for a creepy corner. And the word is that although big name bands ususually require you to go and see them, sometimes if they are retired and you are their biggest fan (Jess) they will come to you, especially if its the day after Halloween, think Black Friday, and they have been accused of demonic tendencies. So, there is a rumor that Motley Crue might make a brief appearence. OK we’re joking, but are you among the few that get this inside joke? Anyway, there is a costume party this Friday night at Guv’s, as they have elected to take full advantage of the day between Halloween itself and the weekend.
— The Halloween celebrations galour have certain prime nights but also could take in a typically slow night on the (end of time) things and take it to a new level with the longtime characterizations, now in many cases in costume, that have become standard with karaoke at the Bungelow Inn in Lakeland. They will again be at it the Friday after Halloween, (one recalls the perfectly apt name about The Thirteenth), every Friday night, and on this occasion it just might feature the karaoke-meisters attired in frightening/funny way from, who knows, the disco to hair bands.
— If you want the primo in Halloween decorating at stores, and the wide range of different types of specials front and center as you come in the store to go with it, much more than just candy although that is a part of it too, you need to check out Family Fresh in Hudson. All of the aisles as you come into the store have many multiples of scary/spooky characters, and to top it off, there are dozens and dozens of pumpkins all around from a local grower, in that case much more than what is simply being sold. So courtesy of Family Fresh, you can be your one stop spook shop.

Billy Club Inc., Ziggy Top, Grizzly and Bear It, and Candy O Likes Charlie O … To take liberties with the pre-Halloween name game.

— Hillbilly Inc., the band, not the Beverly Hillbilly’s, plays like Jethro but much better on Friday night at Oct, 11 at Ziggy’s. Still seems a good fit.
— The sparkling cocktail, Cape Tale, brings its main six flavorful staple items, and no unneeded ingredients, to its special drinks that bolster The Village in North Hudson. Only six simple flavors? Seems to little more complicated to me.
— Which is the freshest deal in town, and at least the Smilin Moose, for a time still: The salmon BLT, harvested by Grizzly Bears (just kidding), or the plate of thick fries (just coming bearly soon).
— Candy O? With Halloween coming soon. No, no, no. It’s Charlie O, who hosts a sing-along piano bar from 5-8 Saturday and Sunday night at Ziggy’s.

Oktoberfest has hit the Hudson area, with special seasonal beers available at places like Dick’s Bar and Grill and Buffalo Wild Wings, among others. But the champ of them all is a German restaurant in downtown Hudson, the Winzer Stube, which bills themselves as among the top five such ethnic places in the country (we’re assuming that’s a compliment). And another in the form of Milwaukee Burger, hailing from the brew capital of everywhere, and do they have more specialty beers to parade out (with leiderhosen)? Said a representative: Well, yeah, sorta, but belly up. We gotta think he was too much into quality control, so to speak.
But when it comes to music, beyond the usual polkas, you can’t beat the immediately past performances, very soon to be redone in like form, at Rocktoberfest at Ziggy’s, which included Going to the Sun, their ongoing regular act of Motown tribute, another regular in the form of Duece KISS play-alikes, Rock Godz, yet another performance of Heartless (guess who they are a tribute to), and more locals in the form of the BuckTucker band (fitting with hunting season coming up). However, if you missed these, don’t despair because there is another local in the form of Jawsy — for their first time ever at Ziggy’s — on this Friday night. You gotta love their new PR photo, considering their name, as they display their jowls, except for the guy in the middle.
— The Village Inn in North Hudson, which has become more and more noticed for its pizza and food in general, is among those nightclubs that are offering breakfast, in their case seven days a week, and now going until 11 a.m. on weekdays and noon on Saturday and Sunday. Does that offer another hour to order your omelette? Some other places that attract a whole different clientele from later on in the day, when there is a whole music and nightlife focus, mostly in downtown Hudson, up to ante by offering breakfast as early as 7 a.m. and maybe past noon, with Bloody’s galore.

— And where are the Twins and Brewers? Doesn’t matter, as Kozy Korner in North Hudson has as advertised on its marquee that all MLB playoff games (that’s read Major League Baseball), through the various series that be, will be televised. That volume is sure to be unmatched locally, and part of that is some of these contests go on all at once. So, by a HudsonWiNightlife very unofficial analysis, that would be 155 games depending on, up or down, if the best-of-seven types are finished off in a four-game sweep, or go the full course (OK, we made up that whole sentence). Are we getting way too Kozy with these kind of jokes?

Friday evenings at the Corner Saloon in River Falls is DJ “V.” Its all in the “whilst,” as they say, and also at more occasions, when celebrating other Victories, including music (Germanic word, like the Crue)? And watch the Best (we know what that is, and not necessarily Milwaukee’s Best beer), NFL game of the particular week, on their new 86-inch TV. (That’s taller than most NBA players). Also listed are $2 Dr. (abbr. from MD) shots… $5 burger baskets… and $6 Miller Lite pitchers with a chance to win 2020 season tickets for Packers, to boot!

— Now may be a last chance to buy a berry fruit-filled summer special at the Smilin’ Moose. The Most Well Hawked Entrees, judging by the size of the ad, are the chicken berry salad, dragonberry mojito and creative (my word not theirs) ahi wonton tacos. And right below in a flyer, is what you could find at the Wild Bill’s in Woodbury, with a lot of the same ownership team as the Moose, although being either paranoid or insightful, take your pick, the City Fathers would not let the Hudson establishment take the same name for reportedly fear of excessive partying by transient Citians. Anyway, the WB has offered Mexican street corn and chipolte orange pork rib tacos. Again tacos as what brings us all together.
— Between now at the closing time on Sunday, The Friends of the Hudson Public Library will continue its used book sale at a discounted rate. (You also can get a complimentary copy of the best of HudsonWiNightlife and an accompanying choice of a valuable vintage Playboy or Penthouse. OK, we’re just kidding about the latter entire sentence, but you know people do read all of these for the articles). And they do tend to be VERY WELL used, if you know what I mean.

When do a half and a half make a whole that’s all the better?
Its that way at Paddy Ryan’s Pub in the heart of the town of Hudson, where they are again showing themselves as the Irish heart of the area by hosting a half-year St. Patrick’s Day celebration all day on Saturday, with the emphasis being their succulent meats and scrumcious sauces, that are well flavored with spirits as a special that include Jameson Whiskey and Irish beers, either together with or separate from the entree. And there again is the Irish-themed music that you would expect from a band playing at a Paddy Ryan’s special event that is exactly six months after the traditional St. Paddy’s Day. And they can handle, also, your big-size Irish family — even if your large gathering is not from everybody’s Irish tradition.
And on the next day its King Football, which can be demonstrated at a mainstay of this type of celebration at the Smilin’ Moose, which is complete with lots of TV screens and giveaways. You can here the loud cheering for things like a Packer touchdown, which promise to be frequent, all the way kittykorner across the intersection at the main street downtown, which was heard last weekend as Green Bay built their lead against the Vikings. And also audible, to use a football term, is the DJ shouting out who was going to win the green and gold beads that go with that scoring. With all that said, we might add that be it Packers or Vikings, Bruce Burnience is playing afterward on the patio, at 3:45 p.m.
Blind Dog plays the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt on Saturday evening. Although we may be flying blind on this one, HudsonWiNightlife believes that the band has occasionally looked for a drummer, which would make us think that like in Spinal Tap, there has been spontaneous combustion going on.
Lastly, in a show that’s been talked about there for weeks, Uncle Chunk is back at it again on Friday in the downtown at Ziggy’s in Hudson — after being at the Ziggy’s in Stillwater the weekend before. And they look even edgier in their current bio photo.

What is this about Vikings and a Moose and all things Minnesota, except for Awiszus:
— Ziggy’s in Hudson is not just about music, especially these kind of tunes. During the Viking season kick-off party this Sunday, they will be playing stadium music during all commercials. And we’re assuming during the referee play-getting-right calls, and there have been many in these parts, all around last-second touchdown passes, from the infamous Drew Pearson push-off, to across the river, the Seattle debacle.
— At Smilin’ Moose, they will be extending their summer outdoor music slate with some acoustic band names you just gotta give a whole lotta love: We start with Steve A-wis-zus, with the hyphens inserted for effect because of the state we are in, on early Friday evening; followed by Brady Lille, who I’m assuming can show that even lilly white boys can sing the blues and beyond, on Saturday early evening; and lastly Brian Dickenson, quite unlike the metal sung by his namesake, but still cool, on Sunday afternoon.

Are they really sporting kegs of various sizes all weekend locally?
— Annual Midwest championship sheepdog trials are going on all day Aug. 30-Sept. 2 at Badlands recreation center east of Hudson. But sadly, not with a St. Bernard and the accompanying libations they carry around their neck, as those might be more applicable during the snows of January.
— Musician Mark Kreger just crashed the kegger party on the patio at the Smilin Moose early Friday evening. Just kidding, as he’s actually playing to the crowd there.

— With Ziggy’s hosting the Candy Store (or Shoppe) for Saturday night music, one must recall Candy-O as well as I Like Candy. A band like that needs more than one name.
— Is less really more? Pura Still spiked blackberry water boasts that it has only 90 calories, a gram of sugar, and they insist zero bubbles (this does not go as far as offering champagne), without the flat taste. Try it at Dick’s Bar and Grill, to be a minimalist.
— Various places around town are inviting you to dive in, as the summer wanes, and indulge in a Deep Eddy vodka drink, fittingly making people look at their sign with the bathing beauty on a diving board. But being column distilled in small batches, you’d better hurry before fall comes. (Especially since they now have seven different flavors being hawked).